Containment drums or barrels are cylindrical containers used to store and ship industrial and commercial liquids or solids. Drums can be made of steel, dense paperboard (commonly called fiber drums) or plastics, and are generally used for the transportation of certain dangerous materials or modest quantities of bulk goods. For caustic and acid materials, plastics, usually thermoplastics such as like polyethylene, nylon, polystyrene, polyvinyl chlorides (pvcs) or possibly polycarbonates are the preferred shipping container; for flammable substances like most petroleum distillates, and alcohol, etc., metal containers are the standard. The fiber drums referred to above will easily hold 400-600 pounds, and are usually coated internally with a urethane or plastic protective coating. They have steel reinforcement rims at their ends and are sufficiently strong.
Drums come in a variety of sizes, including, but not limited to, 5, 20, 30, 55, 65, and 95 gallon sizes. Typically, the standard nominal volume of these drums is 55 US gallons and the exact capacity varies with wall thickness and other factors. Standard 55 gallon drums are 22.5 inches (572 mm) in diameter and 33.5 inches (851 mm) high. The 55-gallon drum will fit four to a fork truck standard wooden shipping pallet to provide ease of handling and shipping. The drum's size, shape and weight distribution lends itself to being moved about readily on the loading dock or factory floor with a two-wheeled drum truck.
Regardless of the drum's size, movement of the drum during use may be conducted on a dolly. Many types of dollies are available. They typically include a base or support section and a rim or wall section. The base is supported on a series of wheels or casters that swivel for easy movement in any direction. The dollies may be pushed or pulled by pushing/pulling the actual drum. Pushing or pulling the drum does not always allow easy steering in the correct direction due to the cumbersome volume and shape of the drum.
In order to assist in transporting a drum down an aisle or over a threshold, a pull strap is sometimes used. Pull straps are typically 4 feet long and fabricated of a nylon or similar material. Again, this does not always provide easy control of the drum in the desired direction due to the flimsiness of the strap. In fact, using the strap may increase safety concerns due to the inability to have tight control of the movement.
Thus, a need exists for a way to easily and safely move drums or other objects adapted for movement on a wheeled carrier. It would be beneficial to provide a simple, effective means to easily steer a drum when positioned on a dolly. It is desirable to provide a means for moving dollies that increase ease of movement while addressing safety concerns.